Street Dept. hits road project

Resurfacing work done on State St. in Vandalia.

New City of Vandalia Street Department Superintendent David Hamby has hit the road running.
Each year the street department does an evaluation of the streets based on their current condition and the amount of traffic flow. The triage, like evaluation determines, what streets get done first.
Hamby and his crew have been working to resurface roads and have repaired 71 blocks this year.
The material being used is pea rock versus ground up limestone, which will reportedly increase the lifespan of the road.
“The process we use extends the life of the preexisting streets and it allows you to make repairs and then seal them off,” Hamby said. “I know that the oil is an issue, but I don’t really see any way around that. I think to get the most out of the taxpayers money, we’re doing the best thing that we can do.”
There are plans to resurface 10-15 more blocks before the end of the summer, as well as a sweep of completed streets in order to get rid of the excess gravel and dust.
“When you do chip and seal work, its kind of difficult because you either put down too much gravel or not enough. It’s really hard to put down the exact amount that you need,” Hamby added.
The Street Department recently completed repairs on a storm sewer at the corner of Walsh and Main Street and now are anticipating the repair of some sidewalks within the community.
Along with repair of the streets, the department also maintains the city pound, city parks, and area storm sewers.
For any questions or concerns, feel free to call the Vandalia City Hall at 594-6186.